Tracking Your Service

Community Involvement & Service

Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas Tornado Information

Missouri State University has been pivotal in responding to various natural disasters and to serve those in need, specifically through raising money for Haiti Earthquake relief, assisting those affected by the Tsunami in Japan, and providing money and service to the Joplin, MO community following the tornado that struck on May 22, 2011. Our hearts go out to those affected by the tornados that struck in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas and we recognize the desire to reach out to those affected to provide assistance.

There are two ways the university community often responds to natural disasters:

Relief: Focused on immediate needs, donations and support are provided through strong humanitarian organizations such as Convoy of Hope or the American Red Cross.

Rebuilding: The continual redevelopment of communities occurs over months or years. Missouri State University students, faculty, and staff have engaged in the rebuilding of other communities in the past and we always consider how we can assist with redevelopment efforts following the initial response.

To ensure that our actions don’t have unintended consequences, we should be cautious before sending in volunteers that could potentially create a greater burden causing more harm than true aid. Further, we should also be cautious on providing donations. Money is always the preferred method for donations. In the coming weeks, Community Involvement & Service will be compiling organizations to work with to assist the tornado victims, identifying places to donate money and resources, and collect information on any ongoing recovery efforts that are taking place with local community or campus groups.

Latest Information/Ways to Help

We encourage people to donate money before providing goods/services. Monitary donations are able to be used better by organizations that are involved in relief efforts and can be "streched further."

Convoy of Hope:

Convoy of Hope has indicated that monetary donations are preferred, and any other donations should be limited to water or canned protein. However, Convoy has stated that they can purchase more with money than what individuals can donate.